Love Inspired Series: Being With You Upright Z-Fold Card---Join Us for Another Monthly Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi everyone!  A couple of days ago, we just started another monthly Challenge at 613 Avenue Create.  So sorry for posting my featured card so late.  Our optional theme is "Love" and you are invited to link your Anything Goes/Love inspired project with us.

You see, in my Church, we always take a few minutes each Sunday service to acknowledge those who have come for the first time, those who have Birthdays and those who are celebrating Wedding Anniversaries.  I think it's very important for us as the Body of Christ to acknowledge one another and share with the important milestones in our walk with the Lord.  My favorite part is when married couples tell us how long they've been married. Some two, ten, fifteen and thirty while others are more than fifty years married.  It's amazing to think of how much joy and happiness the couples shared as well as the sacrifices and pain they went through all those years.  Being married for nearly 17 years myself,  I can say that a lasting marriage need more than physical attraction and emotional satisfaction.  Physical attraction and intimacy are important factors in a relationship but can/may be subjective. Imagine a man and a woman with different needs and wants suddenly coming together under the bond of marriage to live under one roof,  committed to each other 24/7.  No longer would each one be free to do what he/she decides to do but are now accountable to each other all day, everyday.  It may be easy in the early years but it gets tougher as your family grows and years passing.  Let's face it, when you are upset/frustrated with your spouse for any number of reasons, you can't help  but think of him/her as your enemy and just wanted him/her out of your sight (at least for a brief moment).  No wonder we hear of many marriages ending up in divorce/legal separation.  Apart from death, adultery, abandonment and physical abuse, people have added petty reasons for terminating their marriages.  Hollywood/Movie Industry is one of the worst influences in our world today.  Infidelity and fornication (all kinds of sexual relationship outside of marriage) along with all kinds of selfishness and self gratification have been major themes in almost every movie produced nowadays.   It's really sad.

However,  marriage does not look like the shallow marriages shown to us by the Entertainment world.  True biblical marriage between one man and one woman has God in it.  God instituted marriage in Genesis 2:24 when He said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."  We know that God is Love and as believers (Born-again, John 3:3) of Jesus Christ, we are instructed by God in 1 John 4:7-9, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him."  Therefore, the most important member of a marital relationship is God (Jesus) who gives us the desire, strength and ability to fulfill our marital covenant with Him and our spouse.  A marriage centered in Christ is not the kind that easily breaks.  Jesus is the strongest/unbreakable string in that union and as long as we are intertwined/connected in Him, we will always see his love, joy and peace in our union despite the many trials we have to face.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  We can accomplish everything that God and His unselfish love requires if Jesus lives and leads inside of us. 

For this Card, I used an image/sentiment from Art Impressions Stamp called "Love Birds" that I colored using my Prismacolor markers and paper-pieced with some DP's from my scraps.  The base is Kraft, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches Z-fold design.  I used an MS Punch to shape the sides,  a couple of Nesties dies for the lacy oval, a Recollection brad, a Paper Studio washi tape and some Imaginisce hearts.  Finally, I ran some panels in my sewing machine for a more complete look.  I've been wanting to try the upright Z-fold card design but couldn't find the time.  At last, I've done it in this design with some variation.  Here's the VIDEO that inspired me. 

 BEING WITH YOU UPRIGHT Z-FOLD CARD

 BEING WITH YOU UPRIGHT Z-FOLD CARD LAYERS

 BEING WITH YOU UPRIGHT Z-FOLD CARD SIDE VIEW

 BEING WITH YOU UPRIGHT Z-FOLD CARD MESSAGE SPACE

BEING WITH YOU UPRIGHT Z-FOLD CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Art Impressions---Sweet Treats
As You Like It---Fave Way to Add Stitching (Real of course)
Aud Sentiment---Valentine/Love
CCEE Stampers---Old Broad's Day
CRAFT---Three of a Kind (Hearts)
Craft Rocket---Love
Crafting with Attitude---ATG
Little Miss Muffet---ATG
MAWTT---Love
Star Stampz---Valentine/Lots of Pink or Red
Crafty Creations---ATG
Crafty Gals Corner---ATG
Inspiration Destination---ATG
Simon Says---ATG
A Bit More Time---ATG
A Perfect Time---ATG
Create with TLC---ATG/Love
Card Mania---Red and Hearts
Ching-Chou Kuik---All You Need is Love
Classic DT---ATG
Crafter's Cafe---Humorous
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Crafty Awesomeness---ATG
Crafty Girls---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---ATG with Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Love
Createful Heart---ATG/Add a Heart
Daisy Chain---Add a Heart
Die-Cut Divas---Love is in the Air
Dies R Us---For the One I Love
Digi Doodle---Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Digistamps 4 Joy---ATG/I Love You
Eclectic Ellapu---ATG
Fabrika Fantasy---Love
Lets Craft and Create---ATG/Mother/Mother's Day
Love to Craft---ATG
Love to Scrap---I Love You
Scor-Pal---More than One Score
Not Just Cards---ATG
One Crazy Stamper---ATG
Paru's Card Making---Love
Sunsational---Love
Creative Studio---We Love You
Scrapbook and Cardmaking---Valentine/Love
Worldwide Open DT---ATG
YSP---ATG


This it all for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge.  You can take on the Optional Twist (Love) or just do what you do best. There's really no reason for you to miss it.  Can't wait to see what you create.  Have a blessed and wonderful week, everyone!